Created attachment 135235 [details]
Current status - shadowed favorites

SUMMARY

If the kickoff menu button is in the lower left (default), activating the new kickoff and then moving diagonally to the grid of favorites often switched to the "Places" because the auto-activating button "Places" is in the mouse path from the kickoff start location to the favorites.

In fact, most of the favorites are reachable only via the Places button when going in straight lines, see attached image 1.


STEPS TO REPRODUCE
1. activate kickoff by clicking on the start button
2. move diagonally to one of your favorites
3. the mouse pointer moves over the places menu and activates it

OBSERVED RESULT

Places are activated

EXPECTED RESULT

Being able to select a favorite

SOFTWARE/OS VERSIONS
Linux/KDE Plasma: Debian/unstable
(available in About System)
KDE Plasma Version: 5.20.90
KDE Frameworks Version: 5.78.0
Qt Version: 5.15.2

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The attached image 1 shows that the places button actually shadow about half of the favorites area (area between yellow lines marked with a big yellow X). The activation of the Places button is time dependent (I guess), so the outer corner might not activate it, but I have been hit by this behaviour already many times by now.

I suggest (see attached image 2 for a very rough mock-up) (although this might not be possible fro 5.21) moving the Places button vertically on the side of the applications. This would have the following advantages and disadvantages:

Advantages
* orthogonalization of concern: - move right for logout/sleep/system stuff - move up for apps/places/future stuff - move diagonally for selection. This feels much more natural to me.
* area of shadowed favorites greatly reduced (see yellow area in image 2)
* open space for additional entries next to Places

Disadvantage
* again a different layout after the introduction of the new kickoff

Thanks for the great KDE/Plasma!